Blake plotting his return

BEIJING –– While the world focuses on Usain Bolt in Beijing, another speed merchant is preparing for a highly anticipated return to the track.

The prospect of a Yohan Blake coming back fitter, stronger and faster is simply frightening.

Yohan Blake

His manager, Cubie Seegobin, who is in Beijing at the World Championships, says the foundation has been set for a successful B in Rio, Brazil next year.

Blake made a return to action earlier this year from a long injury lay off and appeared at Jamaica Senior Championships but failed to make the team to Beijing. “It was a very productive season in the sense that the base for next year is set,” Seegobin pointed out.

Blake known as the “Beast”, has personal bests of 9.69 seconds for the 100m which make him the joint second fastest man in history behind Usain Bolt’s 9.58 seconds. His amazing 19.26 seconds for the 200m also make him the second fastest man ever at that distance.

Seegobin believes Blake, who has a season’s best of 10.12 seconds will be back better than before.

“I would say that he will be back more than 100 per cent. Even stronger I think because he is a more mature athlete now. He understands more about his body and he has employed a nutritionist to improve his eating habits,” Seegobin revealed.

But despite missing the current World Championships, Seegobin says Blake is in good spirits.

“He is in excellent state and the most important thing is the mental part of him. He is not disappointed because he knows his capability,” the agent said.

Blake at 21 years and 245 days became the youngest 100m champion in the history of the World Championships when he won in Daegu in 2011.

“If you know the time frame of his training and what he has gone through and what he has accomplished in such a short time, it’s just speaks to the extent of his talent that he can run that fast in a short time,” Seegobin pointed out.

“You see he has so much success at a young age and when you are on that kind of a high, you don’t really pay attention to the certain things until you get older. I think his injuries have allowed him to kind of step back and take an assessment as a real professional,” he added.

“I have no doubts in my mind that he will be back 100 per cent. I said to him last year that it would take him two years to come back and I know he will be back better than before. I think he will surprise a lot of people in Rio,” Seegobin predicted.

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